Most Popular Bathroom Trends for 2017

Move over traditional styles. Contemporary and transitional-styled bathrooms are overtaking traditional in design preferences, according to the 2017 Kitchen & Bath Design Trends Report by the National Kitchen & Bath Association. The member survey reveals some of the following bathroom trends this year:

Most popular color schemes: Whites, off/whites, and gray

Also, young design professionals are showing greater preferences for incorporating violets and purples.

Floating vanities and open shelving are catching on, while the use of toilet topper cabinets are fading. Also, more bathroom remodels are adding in power outlets directly inside drawers or vanity cabinets for powering up hair dryers, curling irons, and shavers.

Requests for vessel sinks are starting to wane, as well as pedestal sinks. Trough sinks are gaining more popularity, NKBA notes.

Designer: Gladys SchanstraPhoto by: Eric Hausman

Fixture style on-the-rise: White

White fixtures are growing in popularity. Also, watch out for brushed brass and gold as well as designer faucet colors. Bone and bisque colored fixtures, meanwhile, are losing favor with homeowners.

Designer: Lori Carroll; Co-designer: Alex BurchPhoto by: John Mancuso

Most popular amenity solutions: Safety and comfort first, such as comfort heights, shower seats, lighting in showers, and no-threshold showers.

Water-saving toilets and faucets are becoming more mainstream too. Further, smart toilet, music in the shower, easy maintenance features, and radiant floor heating are growing in demand.

Most pronounced fading fad: Tub or whirlpool.

More than half of National Kitchen and Bath Association members say they have eliminated a tub or whirlpool in a bathroom remodel over the past year. A freestanding tub, however, seems to be more of homeowners’ preference nowadays.

Designer and photo by: Molly Hustoft

Most popular bathroom style: Contemporary and transitional.

Contemporary and transitional-styled bathrooms have dethroned traditional style preferences. Shaker style is gaining popularity, as well as mid-century modern. Asian Fusion is still a niche design, but also getting more attention in remodels.

Melissa Dittmann Tracey is a contributing editor for REALTOR® Magazine, writing about home & design trends, technology, and sales and marketing. She manages the magazine's award-winning Styled, Staged & Sold blog.

None of the above would satisfy me in the bath. It’s all just a trend that a designer put together to lure people to make an unnecessary change. The south western look in tile colors is the most soothing and has not been around long enough to be tired of. I hope people don’t fall into the “designers’ trap” and think that the above examples would enhance their bathrooms. They are all very distasteful in every way.